The supreme god, of which all other gods are merely manifestations is the creator, brahma. Which religion is neither monotheistic or polytheistic. This chapter examines whether hinduism is monotheistic or polytheistic by looking at the rig veda. Is the religion confucianism monotheistic or polytheistic. The puja worship of the murti is like a way to communicate with the formless, abstract divinity brahman in hinduism which creates, sustains and dissolves. She came within a hairs breadth of acknowledged godhead by the same route as gods word and gods spirit. However, its language is very archaic sanskrit and most people cant make sense of it, to be honest. Worship of one god, monotheism in hinduism by jayaram v this article is about the origin and development of the concept of god in hinduism in the context of the vedas in general and the isa upanishad in particular and whether the elements of monotheism entered hinduism indigenously through prevailing traditions or through some external source. In contrast, some believe in multiple gods and these are known as polytheistic religio. In this lesson, we discuss three nontheistic or ethical religions. Leaders were called guru, holy men, brahmin and priest.
This includes many of the wellknown faiths including christianity, judaism, and islam. A short answer is that christianity is monotheistic. Lastly, as no people have been recorded or discovered with an inborn craving or racebias making for monotheism, but on the contrary the lower and prevalent popular instinct is always polytheistic, we must attribute a profound influence to the inspiration of prophets and great thinkers to account for the victory, or even for the emergence, of monotheism at certain times among certain peoples. First we have the trinity the father, the son, and the holy spirit which are all supposed to be aspects of their one god. Which might seem 3 different entities appearing in different times and forms. They had the cas system socail classes, pilgrimage to the indias georges river. A polytheistic religion, on the other hand, is a religion that believes in the existence of.
This includes many of the wellknown faiths including christianity, judaism. Many people actually think that hinduism is polytheistic, however if a person decides to study. In contrast, in explaining the birth of the hindu deity. Apr 03, 20 movies bheeshma day 4 box office collections.
Instead, there are several ways that one can classify hinduism as there. A novelist explains why the polytheism of hindus and their texts. Supporting a view of hinduism as a polytheistic religion is the great pantheon of hindu gods. Polytheism is the worship of or belief in multiple deities, which are usually. Sruti consists of four vedas, upanishads, brahmanas, aranyakas, and bhagavadgita while smriti consists of manu smriti, 18 puranas, ramayana, and mahabharata and other hindu holy books. Founder is jesus, the holy book is the bible, believes that jesus saves them from sins, they what is the pay and lenz, and baptism.
Trimurtifrom left to right vishnu, shiva, and brahma, the three hindu gods of the trimurti. Sruti belongs to the vedic period while smriti belongs to the postvedic period. Unlike christianity or islam, it is a not a religion that is. Hinduism is neither monotheistic nor restricted to one religious scripture. What are the holy books for each monotheistic religion answers. Polytheism can be a terribly confusing affair to monotheists. Hinduism incorporates diverse views on the concept of god. Scripture for jewish, christian, and muslim religions is considered to be the word of god, and therefore infallible. Apr 29, 2011 hinduism is not in any way shape or form polytheistic, that is an ignorant misunderstanding and application of a shallow western lens.
The supreme god of hinduism has several different names and natures. Radhakrishnan took pains to distinguish hinduism from polytheism. This is the book most read as the holy book of our religion. To get a better idea about hinduism, read some good translations of bhagavad gita. I always wanted to know that how hinduism is a monotheistic religion because hindus believe in so many gods. Academically speaking, the ancient vedic scriptures, upon which hinduism is derived. A monotheistic religion believes that a single omniscient god created the world and has the power to intervene, if necessary. Hence, sruti is what ancient hindu saints heard during deep meditation. But this is just about as monotheistic as hinduism, where all their gods are just aspects of their one god. Hindu gods are many and include shiva, vishnu, indra, krishna, kali, ganesh, and many, many more, some incarnations or avatars of others. Two beliefs that hinduism and buddhism both believe in.
The founder of the hebrew race, abraham, was called out from a polytheistic culture by god to be a witness to the one, true god. Even though hinduism is mistakenly regarded by many as a religion having many gods namely, polytheism, yet truly speaking hinduism is a monotheistic religion. One can believe a variety of things about god, the universe and the path to liberation and still be considered a hindu. Conclusion is hinduism monotheistic or polytheistic. In referring to abrahamic monotheistic religions, direct references. In comparing trinity and trimurti, religious scholar, anuradha veeravali indian philosophies, encyclopedia of religion draws parallels between brahma and god, vishnu and the holy spirit, and shiva and jesus, but persists in the common idea that christianity is a monotheistic faith while hinduism is polytheistic. Many people actually think that hinduism is polytheistic, however if a. To get a better idea about hinduism, read some good translations of. Indeed, she helped god to create the world proverbs 8. Polytheistic and monotheistic religions flashcards quizlet. This divine essence is usually referred to as brahman or atman, but the. The vedic religion was neither polytheistic nor monotheistic but had elements of both. Hinduism has no central authority, no founding figure, no historical starting point, no single creed or canonical doctrine, and many holy books rather than one all reasons why it has been called the worlds largest disorganized religion.
Jul 09, 2009 hinduism in my view is a pretty broad spectrum of beliefs from ancient to more recent developements and there are some elements in hinduism that are very close to monotheism such as the bhakti parts of the bhagavad gita and what is called dualism or dvaita. We are trying to list out here as many hindu scriptures and books as possible. In hinduism, polytheism and monotheism are like two sides of the same reality. The polytheistic background of the biblical world the world in which the bible was written was a world that worshipped many different gods. Hinduism is a religion that defies definite classification, and in practice, it has both monotheistic and polytheistic components.
How has hinduism survived while basically all the other. Monotheism is the belief in a single creator god who is almighty, omnipotent. What are 3 monotheistic religions and their holy books. Aug 12, 2018 those who follow a monotheistic religion believe in the existence of a single god. The founder is muhammad, holy book is the quran, they fastes and there leaders are imam. Feb 11, 2007 i think that polytheistic and monotheistic are artificial distinctions. Smriti literature is considered less authoritative than sruti. May 18, 2010 the abrahamic religions also known as abrahamic faiths, abrahamic traditions, religions of abraham, abrahamic monotheistic religions, semitic religions, semitic monotheistic religions, and semitic one god religions, etc. Those who follow a monotheistic religion believe in the existence of a single god.
It has more in common with traditions regarded but as pagan and polytheistic. It has more in common with traditions regarded but as pagan. Nontheism, in this lesson, refers to nontheistic religions, which are religions that do not focus on belief in gods. Mar 17, 2015 hinduism is a decidedly theistic religion. The early vedic religious understanding of brahman underwent a series of abstractions in the. They had many gods including brahma, vishnu, and shiva. If by holy book you mean scripture, as modern abrahamic religions have holy books, then the answer is no.
Mar 17, 2015 hinduism embraces a diversity of beliefs, a fact that can be initially confusing to westerners accustomed to creeds, confessions, and carefullyworded belief statements. Many forms of hinduism believe in a monotheistic god, such as krishna followers, vedanta, arya samaj, samkhya school of vedas etc, many traditions within hinduism share the vedic idea of a metaphysical ultimate reality and truth called brahman instead. Hindus venerate deities in the form of the murti, or idol. Hinduism is the largest polytheistic religion in the world today. Hindu scriptures and holy books are divided mainly into two categories viz sruti and smriti. To call hinduism monotheistic or to try to scale it down into the perimeters of western monotheistic religions is misleading and erroneous. Hindu views on monotheism hinduism is a religion which incorporates diverse views on the concept of god. Romans did the rites proscribed by tradition and shared common concepts about what is the appropriate behavior towards humans and gods. Dec 01, 2011 many say it is polytheistic while some say it is really monotheistic.
Monotheism is the belief in a single creator god who is almighty, omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent. With over a billion adherents, many claim that the religion is monotheistic and helmed by the supreme being, brahma. However, to call hinduism monotheism would be, in most cases, erroneous as well. Different traditions of hinduism have different theistic views, and these views have been described by scholars as polytheism, monotheism, henotheism, panentheism, pantheism, monism, agnostic humanism, atheism or nontheism. Deity is three in terms of distinct personalitiesfather, son, and holy spirit cf. And yes, fosters one personal seeking of enlightenment through a variety of paths. What are the three holy boks of the monotheistic religions. Analyzing constructions of polytheistic and monotheistic religious. However, not all religions are monotheistic or even polytheistic. Then the son appeared, jesus and later the holy spirit. Oct 10, 2010 hinduism is both polytheistic and monotheistic. The quran was first revealed to prophet mohammad, being a messenger of god he started telling those teachings to the people of mecca and madinah. This paradox can be traced to the history of hinduism. Hindu texts and practices suggest the simultaneous existence of polytheism and what seems to be monotheism, but some hindus find it insulting to be called polytheists.
Whats the difference between polytheism and monotheism. Theistic hinduism encompasses both monotheistic and. Sep 08, 2018 a monotheistic religion believes that a single omniscient god created the world and has the power to intervene, if necessary. Sruti literally means that what is revealed and smriti means that what is remembered. From hindu human rights there has been a considerable debate extending from recent centuries to current interfaith dialogues as to whether hinduism is a monotheistic religion, and if so whether hinduism can perhaps be included among the great monotheistic traditions of the world. Many say it is polytheistic while some say it is really monotheistic. Hinduism is a monotheistic religion 69 words bartleby. The greeks, romans, and egyptians all had many gods, but they also believed in an ultimate, underlying reality the mystery. Often a point of contention in religious debates, the idea of god. The holy book of islam is the quran and the torah is revered by those in judaism. It should be noted at the outset, however, that this is chiefly a western difficulty. Different groups of people view it based on their own perceptions. Devotion to these deities is based primarily on one s region and needs, even when devotion is given to only one or more, the existence of the others is known. She was known as the holy wisdom, just as gods spirit was known as the holy spirit.
What holy books do the monotheistic religions have. If you need anything else, or have a problem with the answer, do please post a request for clarification before rating and i shall respond as soon as i can. Some cultures embrace a polytheistic religion, which recognizes more than one deity. Judaism is traditionally considered one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world, although it is also believed that the earliest israelites pre7th century bce were polytheistic, evolved into henotheistic and later monolatristic, rather than monotheistic. Christianity claims to be monotheistic but i just cant see it that way. In most religions which accept polytheism, the different. It is a paradox, which hinduism addresses with great subtlety and openness, while some traditions fail to appreciate it or embrace it. Christianity, and islam, which share a common tradition of monotheism, the belief in one god. Polytheistic religions have no such belief, allowing not only different views of religious practices but even different interpretations of their deities.
The classification of hinduism is very open to interpretation. People often think that hinduism is a polytheistic religion. Judaism, christianity and islam all have one godbut they also have a plethora of angels which represent aspects of god not dead people with wings. In conclusion, the question is christianity monotheistic or polytheistic. Theistic hinduism encompasses both monotheistic and polytheistic tendencies and variations on or mixes of both structures. At some point following the origin of humanity, however, various peoples begin to digress from the idea of the one god. Polytheism from greek, polytheismos is the worship of or belief in multiple deities, which are usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religions and rituals. Different traditions of hinduism have different theistic views, and these views have been described by scholars as polytheism, monotheism, henotheism, panentheism. What are the holy books for each monotheistic religion. A polytheistic religion, on the other hand, is a religion that believes in the existence of many gods or deities.
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